Verstappen wins the battle with Ferrari
Max Verstappen took pole position for the Singapore Grand Prix on Saturday, 10 October 2026. The Red Bull driver set a 1:31.373 in Q3, enough to beat Charles Leclerc by just 0.054 seconds. Lewis Hamilton completed the top three, 0.123 seconds behind Verstappen.
Ferrari close to pole; McLaren fifth and seventh
Leclerc finished the session ahead of Hamilton, with both Ferrari drivers in the top three. Kimi Antonelli was fourth, 0.189 seconds off the fastest time. Lando Norris finished fifth, George Russell sixth and Oscar Piastri seventh. Pierre Gasly, Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad complete the top ten.
Full qualifying results
The table reproduces the order and times published by RacingNews365 after the session; Total Motorsport also confirms the top ten. Each driver's best time in their final qualifying phase is shown: Q3, Q2 or Q1. Times from different phases are not a direct comparison of pace in identical conditions.
| Position | Driver | Team | Segment | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | Q3 | 1:31.373 |
| 2 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | Q3 | 1:31.427 |
| 3 | Lewis Hamilton | Ferrari | Q3 | 1:31.496 |
| 4 | Kimi Antonelli | Mercedes | Q3 | 1:31.562 |
| 5 | Lando Norris | McLaren | Q3 | 1:31.712 |
| 6 | George Russell | Mercedes | Q3 | 1:31.747 |
| 7 | Oscar Piastri | McLaren | Q3 | 1:31.860 |
| 8 | Pierre Gasly | Alpine | Q3 | 1:32.225 |
| 9 | Liam Lawson | Racing Bulls | Q3 | 1:32.369 |
| 10 | Arvid Lindblad | Racing Bulls | Q3 | 1:32.781 |
| 11 | Nico Hülkenberg | Audi | Q2 | 1:32.784 |
| 12 | Oliver Bearman | Haas | Q2 | 1:32.908 |
| 13 | Esteban Ocon | Haas | Q2 | 1:33.323 |
| 14 | Carlos Sainz | Williams | Q2 | 1:33.526 |
| 15 | Gabriel Bortoleto | Audi | Q2 | 1:33.658 |
| 16 | Franco Colapinto | Alpine | Q2 | 1:33.787 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | Aston Martin | Q1 | 1:34.223 |
| 18 | Alexander Albon | Williams | Q1 | 1:34.289 |
| 19 | Lance Stroll | Aston Martin | Q1 | 1:34.946 |
| 20 | Sergio Pérez | Cadillac | Q1 | 1:35.123 |
| 21 | Valtteri Bottas | Cadillac | Q1 | 1:35.984 |
| 22 | Isack Hadjar | Red Bull | Q1 | No valid time |
Hulkenberg first outside Q3; Hadjar without a time
Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th. Oliver Bearman, Esteban Ocon, Carlos Sainz, Gabriel Bortoleto and Franco Colapinto were the other drivers eliminated in Q2. Fernando Alonso, Alexander Albon, Lance Stroll, Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas went out in Q1. Isack Hadjar is 22nd, without a valid timed lap in the results table.
Russell: sixth in qualifying, grid penalties to apply
The session classification must be separated from the race grid. FIA Document 20 imposes a 40-place grid penalty on George Russell for using power-unit elements beyond the permitted allocation. On Saturday, FIA technical report 57 also recorded his fourth energy store and fourth power-unit control electronics, beyond the limit of three. That report does not itself impose an additional final sanction.
Verification status and race time in Romania
At the editorial check, Formula1.com confirmed Verstappen's pole in its live coverage, but the official results table was still empty and the FIA register had not yet published the main qualifying classification document. The table above is therefore attributed to the results sources and is not presented as the FIA's final classification. The Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday, 11 October at 15:00 in Romania: 12:00 UTC and 20:00 in Singapore.
